Something like fate
by LoveIsAlwaysLouder
Summary: She was his first everything. First crush, first girl he ever held hands with, first kiss, first time, first girl he had ever loved. They only saw each other one night every year, but it was never enough. Just as they turn 17 they are given a gift. A summer together. Klaus/Caroline. Mild Damon/Elena
1. May i have this dance?

Something like fate

chapter 1

Forbes. Mickelsons. Gilberts. Salvatores. Names that everyone know. Old money families who sit comfortably in the upper half of the 1%. Who own multi-billion dollar corporations and own more vacation homes then could possibly be used. They live in the world where million dollar cheques written without the blink of an eye, and thousand dollar champagne is sipped out of crystal flutes. They marry their perfect spouses and produce their perfect offspring who grow up in the lap of luxury before going off into the world to find their own perfect spouses so they can produce their own perfect children. And sometimes. Just sometimes, those perfect children, fall in love.

Caroline Forbes and Niklaus Mikaelson were born 3 months apart to the day, on April and July 16th in Lennox Hill hospital, New York, New York. They had lived in the same city for exactly one year, while their parents set up a new york based cooperative firm between their two businesses. They had never even met, and after that they were always separated. The Mickelson's spent most of their time at their English manner, as Esther had prefered to raise her children in the countryside rather than in a large city ; the Forbes maintained a similar mind set, and moved into a lavish home in Virginia in the same town where they had grown up themselves. Although the two families ran in similar social circles it was rare that their children came into much contact. While the parents often ran into each other during conferences and Galas, their children remained far apart, growing up in similar privileged positions thousands of miles away. There was rare exceptions to this rule. The Gilberts Christmas party brought them all together, The Salvatore new years event, Easter at the white house, and the Mickelson start of summer gala. Despite these yearly parties fate never seemed to line up to have both the Mickelson's and the Forbes families in attendance. Other obligations always seemed to come in the way. The one exception to the rule was the party that the Mickelson's threw themselves. The saturday of the last weekend of june saw the Mickelson's manor filled to the brim with influential people from around the world, coming together to raise money for some event or another, but mostly just as an excuse to dawn expensive dresses and heavy gold watches and prove their wealth to all those around them. the tradition started the year Niklaus turned seven; and at first he had dreaded the idea of this party. He hated the idea of being in a tiny suit all night, and not being able to run free in the woods behind the houses grounds, but rather having to sit quietly and impress all his parents stuffy and boring friends. He had been presently suprised at how good a time he had experienced, planning hide and seek throughout the house with a small blonde girl about his age. He hadn't learend her name until the next year, when their parents formally introduced them and after that, Nik and counted down the days on his calander until the party. He could pin point the major moments of his life down to the day, becuase everything worth remembering to him happened on those nights in late june, and they all happened with Caroline. She was his first everything. First crush, first girl he ever held hands with, first kiss, first time, first girl he had ever loved.

Summer 17

The sun sat low in the sky as daylight drew to a close, and Nicklaus knew that he needed to get back, but he couldn't manage to pull himself away from his spot at the riverside. He was aware that he had little time before he had to track back to the house and spend the evening in a stuffy suit, smiling and nodding politely at all of his mother's friends. He hated when his parents threw these crazy parties, inviting every person on their social tier, including those they spend most of the year complaining about. There was only every one of these events he looked forward too, always held on the same weekend every year, since before he could remember, The last weekend in June. It was the one day a year he knew that they would see each other. The one night that was theirs. But today was that day it was the last weekend in june and for the first time in nine years she wasn't coming. He hadn't found out that the Forbes had RSVP'd with a no until the night before last, when he was absentmindedly looking at the seating chart and found neither her or her parents names anywhere. His heart had dropped and he rushed to his mother, sure that the planner had made some sort of mistake, but it was true. The Forbes would be unable to attend due to a work conflict. It was understandable, his mother stated, it was an awfully long way to come for a party. Klaus had stomped up the stairs as if he was six years old rather than freshly seventeen. This wasn't just a party to him, to them. He had almost called her in that moment. Picked up his cellphone and dialed the number he had memorized but hadn't allowed himself to save in his phone, but he couldn't break the deal.

So here he sat, the river flowing softly at his feet, and the woods around him alive with noise. If he closed his eyes he could almost forget what day it was, forget the ache in his chest, forget how angry his parents would be when he showed up halfway through their party, and sulked around for an hour before sneaking up to his bedroom.

His silence was broken by the sound of the breaking branches under careful feet.

He glanced up to see his sister Rebekah stomping through the wood towards him, her hair twisted in into an elegant knot, and looking completely put together besides the fact that she was still wearing a long velvet robe rather than the dress she had their mother had spent hours shopping in the city for.

"The guests are beginning to arrive." She stated huffing slightly as she came to a stop at the river's edge looking down at the brother with distaste. He glanced up at her holding her angry gaze for just a moment before shaking his head slightly and returning his gaze to the river. Growing impatient, she nudged him with her heeled foot,

"Mother sent me to get you, I mean it nick, you need to be dressed, ready for dinner, and mingling within the hour."

He sighed audibly before letting his head fall into his hands and then looking up at her exasperatedly.

" No offense, becs but I really don't care. " she rolled her eyes before giving his side a slight kick attempting to knock him off his perch.

" Would it make a difference to you, if I said that the staff had to set extra place settings this morning… three of them." A flash of something came across nicks face, before it fell again, and he glared up at his sister with disgust.

"That's a cheap blow becs." Leaning back on his palms and letting his head fall up towards the sky, Rebekah had always teased him about his crush, and wasted no opportunity to knock her brother down a few pegs. She sighed audibly,

"I'm serious, mother's been grumbling about it all day, which you would know, if you'd spent more than I don't know five minutes in the house this morning." Klaus sprung to his feet immediately, his heart beating out of control. It couldn't be true. They couldn't be…. But what if they were?

" If you're messing with me right now, if this is some sort of ploy to get me into the house i swear to god rebeckah i will-" She cut him off, rolling her eyes,

"Just go Nik."

He took off into the woods, leaving his disgruntled sister to shout after him, as he tore through the trees, the path merely a barrier in his quest back to the house. He finally reached the clearing of their perfectly manicured back yard, and after only a few more moments of running, he had reached the back door to their kitchen. He slipped through the door, doing is best not to disturb the quick moving staff who were slaving away, preparing for the party. He ran up the back staircase, taking the steps two at a time, racing towards his room, trying to block out the noise of countless guests arriving, trying not to wonder if she was here yet, or how close she might be. He didn't have time to shower or shave, but he quickly splashed water on his face. He had no time to shave, so the five o'clock shadow that framed his jaw and neck would have to stay. He changed into the suit his mother had selected, trying and failing to tame his mess of curls, and quickly tying up his shiny leather shoes. By the time he had reached the top of the main staircase the party was in full swing, and the room below was full of people, yet he could still pick his mother's angry eyes out of the room. He knew he'd be getting an ear full tomorrow morning, but he didn't care. All they had was this one night, and he had already wasted 20 minutes of it. He escaped into the crowd, searching desperately. He saw the salvatore brothers one of the Gilbert twins just to his left, Damon shot him a knowing smile, and lifted his glass of champagne in his direction before lifting his chin to the right to draw Niks eyes that way. He nodded a thank you and headed off the way he was directed. He snatched a flute of champagne off a nearby tray and downed to before anyone who would snitch to his mother could see him. He needed something, anything to calm him down.

Then, finally, he saw her. She was standing across the room, chatting lightly to an elderly couple as well as a very bored looking Katherine Gilbert who seemed to be scanning the room for an escape route. He was watching Caroline closely, he could see her eyes flitting around the room at certain intervals, and he knew in that moment, that she was looking for him too. Her hair hung in loose blonde curls around her shoulders, and her dark blue satin dress cling to her body until it reached her mid thighs, where it tapered out and flowed to the ground . It had been exactly a year since he had seen her, but she had changed so much in such a short time. Her hair was longer and the bones of her face slightly more defined. She didn't seemed like a girl anymore, but just looking at her made his heart feel like he was seven years old again, like a child, with no worries or fears. He took advantage that she hadn't spotted him yet, and circled around the room so he could approach from behind. The moment the couple turned away and Kat excused herself to look for another glass of champagne, he took his opportunity, wrapping his arm around her waist, and pulling her backward, into a small alcove that was mostly obscured from the rest of the room.

She was pressed up against the cold marble of the wall they were hidden behind and the coolness of the stone caught her by surprise. He dropped his arm from around her waist, but caught both her hands in his own; they were standing close, their chests almost touching. When she spoke her breath was almost airy, as if he had caught her in the middle of a light run rather than conversation.

"For a moment there I didn't think you were going to show" he could feel the goofy grin spreading across his face, but in that moment he didn't care.

"To be fair I didn't think you were coming at all. I thought you'd still be in America." She laughed, letting the smallest of smirks slip onto her face.

"Well would you rather I go ?" She playfully pushed him away and moved to the side as if to leave, but never letting their hands go. He laughed and pulled her back to him. Pushing her lightly back against the wall and moving closer so that their bodies were almost fully touching now, their mouths mere inches apart. He brought their joined hands up between them, rubbing his thumb along the side of her hand.

"You know that isn't true." Her smirk turned into a real smile, as she continued to speak

"We were supposed to be in New York, but dad had last minute business in London, he wanted mom and I to come, and well I didn't exactly put up a fight. I suspect it had something to do with them wanting to stop my moping around the house. You'd have been proud of the fit i pitched when they first told me we weren't coming. It was some of my better work." She laughed lightly, looking down at their intertwined hands, watching as his thumb rubbed lazy circles of the side of her hand.

" I would have called but.." her words trailed off. He knew what she meant. They had made their deal years ago, when they had realized that what they felt for each other, and how impossible it was for them to be together. They had one night a year, when the party was in full swing and no one noticed that they had snuck off together. There were no questions, no talk of girlfriends or boyfriends or life outside that one night. They agreed not to keep in contact that phone calls and letters and emails would make it too real, would hurt too much.

" Well" he continued

" I guess it's just fate" she smiled sadly at him

" You know that fates never on our side".

He move ever so closer, so close that it had become necessary to tilt his head as to avoid clashing into her ski slope nose. They were so close that each breath they took they shared with the other, and that saying even a single word would cause their lips to brush against each others. They were so close, and Nik was so close to kissing her, to destroy the distance between them and feeling connected to her again, when a bell was rung and dinner was signaled. They reluctantly broke apart, making their exits separately as to not raise the suspicions.

Dinner seemed to take forever, Caroline and her family were seated several tables away with his mother and father, and Klaus wondered who had been bumped from those seats to make room for the forbes. Klaus and his five siblings were squashed in at a table with a few foreign friends who spoke very little English, and slurped their soup loudly. He kept shooting glances towards Caroline, and on multiple occasions he could see that Rebekah had caught him staring. She smirked at him knowingly, and he attempted to aim a kick at her under the table, but missed and caught Finn instead, who had just taken a large gulp of wine and spat red liquid all across the table in shock. Henrik laughed so loudly that several people from different tables turned their heads to discover what the competition was.

Once all the courses had been served and the dessert plates had been cleared the guests disburse back out into the main room to dance. Klaus scanned the crowd, hoping to catch Caroline in the mix of people leaving the dining room. When he didn't spot her he, headed for the back of the dining room and passed a curtain that hide the back stairs that lead to the landing of the second floor, and to the balcony that looked over the room below. It was rarely used, or acknowledged making it the perfect meeting place. When they were younger they used to use it as a home base for when they played group games with the other kids at the gala, now it was theirs and theirs alone.

She was already there when he arrived, looking over the railing at the party below. He made his way over to her quietly, wanting to take a moment to admire her. Her dress clung to her body so elegantly and with such beauty that he could hardly contain himself. He had'nt gotten to grow up with her and watch how she blossomed, but he did get to marvel in each stage of her beauty each placed his arms on either side of her, leaning his chin against her shoulder. She sighed happily, melting backwards into him. The music started below, and groups broke into couples for dancing. Nik pulled her backwards, and they swayed together to the strings that played below. One of his hands rested on her waist while the other held tightly to her hand. He pulled her closer so that their chests were touching and arm was wrapped all the way around her lower back. They spoke softly to each other, and laughing. Nik was in awe of how easy it was to be around here, even having been apart for 364 days, they could still fall back into the simple pattern of being together. They danced in time to the music. Klaus spun Caroline away from him and then pulled her back so her back was pressed against his chest and their arms were folded together. He let his lips graze the side of her neck and he heard her let out the smallest of gasps, almost inaudible. Their arms slacked as Caroline twisted to face him. Her eyes wide and searching, and in that moment they couldn't wait anymore. Nik wrapped his arms around her, pulling her so close that he could feel every inch of her body against him, and crashed his lips into hers. It was like taking in the first gulp of air after holding your breath for so long. Your lungs ache from having been deprived what they needed for so long, and then relax calming down, realizing that this is what they had been missing. Their hearts racing fast from the adrenaline, they held onto each other with a fierce grip. Niks hands moved along her sides, tracing the lines of her body and holding her tightly against him. Carolines hands moved from his arms to his neck and hair, un concerned with anything in that moment accept the feeling of his lips against hers.

They broke apart when they heard the sounds of someone coming up the stairs, Klaus grabbed her hand and they dashed away from the balcony and the party. They ran through the halls of the house, they same halls they had played in years before, they were laughing and tripping, and holding onto eachothers hands like they were glued together. They paused on the stairway up to the next floor, Caroline standing a step above him, her hands on his shoulders, they kissed again, unable to go more than a few minutes now that they had started. They had been denied each other so long, and now they were making up for lost time. Eventually they made it to Niks door, and he pressed her up against it, leaning his body into her's, one hand bracing the door by her head and the other on the small of her back, pulling her body closer. His lips moved to her neck as his hand pulled at the material of her dress, his hand hiking up the soft fabric until he felt the flesh of her thigh on his finger tips. He fumbled with the knob of his bedroom door, until he finally got it open, and they retreated backwards into the room together.

The hours passed like water, each second slipping away unable to hold in their hands. Neither had any idea what time it was when they made their way onto the small patch of slanted roof outside of his bedroom, She sat between his legs with her back resting against his chest and his arms draped around her lazily. Her dress wrinkled and the top few buttons of his shirt still party had long since broken up, but Caroline knew that her parents would have been far too drunk to even notice that she hadn't left with them.

" I hate that you're leaving tomorrow" he whispered into her ear, nuzzling his face into her soft hair

"Nik?" he glanced down at her.

"hmm" he muttered against her neck. She bite her lip leaning back into his embrace, trying to decide what to say next. The words had been running through her head all night, but she didn't know how to string them together.

"What if i wasn't?" She felt Nik straighten up against her, at full alert.

"What do you mean?" His voice was anxious and nervous, he was excited but he couldn't let himself get too hopeful.

" That business that my dad has that brought us here. Its not just a meeting, their re evaluating the whole London branch . We're going to be here all summer, at the country house." His stomach flipped, the forbes rarely used country house was just on the other side of the woods, a quarter of a mile from his lawns to hers. He would sometimes stop and look at the house during his runs around the woods, and imagine what it would be like if she lived their year round as he did. What it would be like to be able to run for a few minutes and be at her door.

" Why didn't you tell me this before" his heart was pounding in his chest and when Caroline twisted around to look at him she saw the goofy grin that had spread across his face. Her own anxiety increased.

" Nik, I don't know what or who you have in your life right now, that's not how this works, I didn't want to pressure you, or make this into something that it isn't. ….Or ruin tonight, But i couldn't just hide on the other side of the woods all summer and pretend that you weren't so close. I just needed you to know, the balls in your court now".

His thoughts were running a million miles a minute in his mind. Caroline had been hesitant to tell him about spending the summer in case he had other obligations. A thought of Haley. The girl he had hooked up with a few times throughout the school year. The girl who had been fishing for a real date for months and seemed intent on being more than friends. But Haley was nothing. He would give up ever even looking at Haley again if it meant he could spend even one more day in a row with Caroline. She had been worried in case he just thought of her as a yearly booty call. He was in shock. Didn't she remember what he said to her last summer? Didn't she understand how he felt?

Nik pulled her tight against her chest again, keeping his arms wrapped strongly around her petite frame and kissed the top of her head lightly.

" Can i see you tomorrow?" he asked taking her hand in his.

She leaned back further into him and turned her head to press against his chest,

" I'd like that".


	2. Runner, Runner

Something like fate chapter 2

Klaus had barely been able to sleep the rest of the night. He lay awake in bed and stared at the ceiling. Meer hours ago Caroline had been there with him. His sheets still smelled like her. But this was so different than any other time he had lay awake after seeing her, because this time, he wouldn't have to wait a year to hold her again. Rather than feeling distraught over his usual lose, he was overjoyed and far too excited to even consider sleeping. He could and would see her again within the next twenty four hours rather than in the next 365 days.

He felt like a kid again, like he had just been promised a trip to disneyworld and would be leaving in the morning. He tossed and turned, his brain to hot wired to think about anything else beside Caroline. Caroline holding his hand. Caroline kissing him. Caroline beside him in bed. Caroline. He fell asleep with her name on his lips.

The manor was a mess that morning. Klaus wasn't usually awake in time to see the clean up process in action but that day he was awake before dawn, having only slept a few hours. Despite his lack of sleep he felt buzzed and alert, almost like he had never felt this awake in his entire life. He hung out in the kitchen that morning, sitting at the island and drinking coffee out of one of the enormous mugs from the cabinets. The staff and those hired to clean the remainder of the party had been flitting around the house all morning, cleaning and straightening things up so they would be completely in order by the time Ester woke around noon. He knew that at that moment his mother was still in her wine induced coma and would not be heard from until past lunch. His brother Kol waltzed into the kitchen at a quarter to 8. His eyes were sunken and heavy but he still had the same smug look on his face that he always wore.

" You seem awfully happy this morning." Kol stated watching his brother while taking a large gulp of orange juice that he had found in the fridge.

" Not suffering from the yearly heartbreak?" He joked placing the carton back in the fridge and letting the door swing closed behind him.

" Not quite." Nik stated trying to conceal his smile by taking a large drink from his mug.

" Mind blowing sex makes up for it?" Kol joked smugly, backing out of the room.

" Fuck off." He threw a scone from the basket on the island at his brother, which hit him square in the face before Kol caught it in her hand and took a large bite. He turned to leave the room, Still laughing at his own joke.

Klaus shook his head, and smiled to himself as he watched the clock on the oven. It was too early for him to call over to the forbes country house yet he was anxious to see Caroline again. To hear her voice. To hold her hand. To kiss her lips.

This was the way he always felt the morning after seeing her, but this time he would be able to satisfy those wants. He sat anxiously through the next hour, sipping at his coffee and picking at one of the scones.A few of his other siblings floated through the kitchen once or twice, but didn't pay him much attention. Rebekah patted his shoulder meaningfully, assuming that he was in the same post party depression that he usually had. He realized that none of his family were aware of the Forbes country house being in use over the summer, and he wanted to keep the secret a little longer. Although his siblings were not close to Caroline the way he was, they had all played together as children and they could pass off as friends. He wasn't ready to share her.

By nine o'clock he couldn't stand it anymore. He dashed back up to his room and changed into his usual running apparel. He had thought it out. It was a quarter of a mile through the woods from his lawn to her's, but he knew that he couldn't bushwhack through the forest. He settled for taking the long way around and running the beaten trail around the woods. It was around four miles around the whole woods, and two miles to reach the edge of the forbes property. He'd run past the house and if it looked like there was movement inside he would brave the phone and call the manners landline.

He took off down the path, he hadn't bothered to bring his phone, he's head was too full to even consider listening to music. Each of his steps against the well beaten dirt track around the woods matched the thundering beats of his heart against his chest. By the time he had reached the manicured edge of the Forbes lawn he was breathing so heavily and his heart was beating so fast that he had to take a moment, and stared up at the grand country house some 50 yards away. He had just barely caught his breath when out of the corner of his eye he noticed a figure on the far side of the lawn heading for the running trail at the tree line.

She was dressed in running gear, a sky blue top and tight cropped pants, and her blonde hair in a tight pony tail. She hadn't noticed him, and was setting off in the opposite direction around the woods and towards his house.

He took off running after her, ignoring the pain in his chest and the protest of his legs. He pushed himself to go faster and faster but the head start she had gotten made it nearly impossible to catch up. The twists and turns of the trail around the woods made it so he could not catch sight of her until they had reached the straight stretch in front of his own property. She stopped right in the middle of the path, and stared up at his stately home, breathing heavily and trying to assess the mood of the home. He used her temporary pause to regain the lead she had on him.

" Care!" He shouted as he reached her, wrapping an arm around her waist, and lifting her off her feet, and spinning her. She let out an airy laugh, having been caught off guard. He placed her on the ground in front of him as they both caught their breath. Klaus was beaming. He had never seen her two days a row in his life, and it was something he could get used to.

" I was going to call." She began but he cut her off.

" This is better." He breathed out, taking her hand and pulling her behind him into the woods. Although the house was yards and yards away he couldn't help but shake the feel that that least one of his siblings was watching them from one of the distant windows. Once they were well sheltered under the cover of the large trees. Nik backed Caroline up against the nearest tree as her hands found their way into his hair.

" Good morning" he whispered against her lips. She smiled into his kiss.

" I like the sound of that. Good morning, instead of goodnight and goodbye."


	3. Summer 16

Something like fate chapter 3: Summer 16

Being with Caroline in the woods that day reminded Nik of the last time they were among those trees together. The last time they had seen each other the year before. The night that their lives had changed.

_The summer gala after Klaus and Caroline turned 16 was the most extravagant yet. In addition to the parties being held in the grand rooms of the house, the party also overflowed to a large white tent on the sprawling lawn of the estates. There were massive ice sculptures and champagne fountains, in fact the whole thing looked a lot more like a wedding then a summer garden party. In order for the guests to enjoy the warm summer weather the party would begin in the afternoon, rather than the evening. _

_Nik couldn't believe his luck when his parents had mentioned it in passing one night at dinner. Those extra hours with Caroline were all he could think about in the month leading up to the event. It had been a whole nother year since he and Caroline had seen each other or spoken. Like always a lot had changed in the year. Klaus had thought he looked a lot different from 14 to 15, but it was nothing compared to how different he looked at 16. He had grown at least two inches, and thanks to the rowing team at school, running, and the other sports he participated in he had gained large amounts of muscle. Still when he looked in the mirror all he could wonder was what she would think of him, or how much she must of changed. He was always nervous in the days leading up to the party. His insecurities would get the best of him and he would be sure that she didn't want to see him. He feared that she would walk into the party spot him and spend the rest of the night avoiding him. But as soon as the day arrived all his worries melted away. She was just Caroline and he was just Nik. Being around each other was easy and fun and comfortable and although in reality they barely knew each other and had never been in the same room for more a few hours at a time and never two days in a row, he felt as if he could say anything or do anything around her and she would understand. He knew he was only 16 and maybe it was his constant surges in hormones, but there was something about caroline. Something that he couldn't explain. Something that he loved._

_While the other guest enjoyed pre dinner cocktails in the garden tent Caroline and Klaus wandered the grounds of the estate. They talked for hours, about nothing and about everything. Klaus could feel the redness spread across his neck when he reached for her hand as they walked, but Caroline happily laced her fingers through his own as they continued on their path. They had shared their first kiss two summers earlier at fourteen, and after a few glasses of sneakily stolen champagne from the bar, had made out in a broom closet the year after. Despite all that he was still nervous to reach out and take her hand. He was afraid to mess things up with her, because he knew that if he did he would spend the next 365 days obsessing about it._

_So they walked, hand and hand as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky. They didn't even notice how long it had been until the sky was black and the only light was coming from the windows of the house in the distance and the fairy lights that lined the large white tent on the lawn. Almost all the guests had made their way into the manor and were mingling under the crystal chandeliers, but Caroline and Klaus were still outside. They'd decided to go on a walk through the tiny trails within the woods and when they emerged back onto the lawn they could hear the band playing from within the house. Caroline looked up at the mass amounts of stars above her and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't believe how beautiful it was that night. Klaus squeezed her hand and pulled her forward off the woods trail and onto the lawn. With the music playing in the background he let go of her hands, and immediately offered her his hand back in an invitation to dance. Caroline placed her hand in Niks and allowed him to twirl her onto the lawn. They waltzed around the grass, using the ballroom dance class skills they had been forced to learn. It didn't matter what they said or did then. No one could hear them. No one was paying attention. It was if they were the only two people in the world. Two people under a bed of a million stars. _

"_Caroline?" she lifted her head from his shoulder to look into his eyes as they continued to revolve in a slow circle._

" _I want to tell you something. and maybe you'll think it too soon, or maybe you won't even believe me but i can't wait another minute let alone another year so-" she laughed slightly cutting him off._

" _Just spit it out Ni-" but before she could even finished saying his name he had began to speak again_

" _I love you" Caroline's breath caught in her chest and she looked up at him in complete shock and awe. _

" _You what?" _

" _love you. You may think that it's too much, that i don't know you well enough, and you don't know me, but every other thought i have is that i love you." Klaus heart had stopped as she searched her face for any sign of emotion. After a few hour long seconds, Caroline's face broke into blinding smile._

" _well then i guess when you put it that way, i love you too."_

Klaus andCaroline had reluctantly separated from their woodside hookup in order to go back to their homes, shower and get ready for the day. They had plans to meet again that afternoon, and Klaus hoped for every afternoon after for the rest of the summer. Klaus had dashed back across the lawn and in through the back door of his kitchen. Rebekah was sitting at the kitchen island with a large cup of coffee steaming in front of her.

" Glad to see you got out today. Your post caroline depression usually keeps you locked up in the house for at least seventy two hours." He rolled his eyes at her and tried to move past the kitchen and towards the back staircase, but Rebekah put up a hand to stop him.

" Somethings not right here." she stated looking him up and down.

" Now you're face is usually all puffy the morning after the gala because you've been crying all night.

" Stuff it Becks i do not!" He huffed trying to push past her but she was now standing in his way.

" and i looked in on your room this morning. No tear stains on your pillows. And now you've come back from your run, looking perfectly cheery, and the only part of your face that is at all swollen are your puffy lips. So spill. Did you line up some rebound for the morning after to heal that broken heart of yours?" he rolled his eyes and chuckled at her.

"Not exactly." he stated finally moving past her.

" So what is it then?" He turned back to face her while still slowly walking backward towards the stairs.

" She's here Becks. For the summer." Rebekah's mouth dropped open in shock.

" what! when did you-" he cut her off

" i'll tell you all about it later, but right now i'm in a bit of a hurry. I have a date." He dashed up the stairs and into his room. He was showered, shaved and properly dressed within the hour, but he still had another two hours to go before he was supposed to meet Caroline. He paced about the house, knowing exactly what rooms to avoid to prevent his siblings from harassing him. When the time came he uncovered the motorcycle he hadn't ridden since the previous fall and climb on, and headed down the back road to the Forbes estate.


	4. The first time

Something like fate chapter 4: The first time

Klaus brought his motorcycle to a halt in front of the Forbes massive manor house. The wheel of his bike skidding slightly against the pressed gravel of the round about driveway. Caroline was standing on the stoop of her summer home dressed in a pair of faded jean shorts and a flowing white tank top. She had on dark oversized sunglasses on which she pushed up onto the top of her head when she saw Nik's bike come to a stop in front of her. She walked down the few steps and onto the driveway, pulling her long strapped leather bag over her shoulder.

" Well well, who knew little clean cut Klaus Mikaelson was such a bad boy." Nik laughed as Caroline climbed onto the back of his bike and wrapped her arms around his waist. Klaus could feel his skin set fire on the places where their skin touched.

" You've still got a lot to learn about me." He stated, before he revved the engine of the bike and sending them flying towards the main road.

Caroline loved the feeling of the wind against her face and the comfort of being able to hold tightly to Nik. She couldn't help but laugh as they took corners or passed other vehicles. Feeling exhilarated and excited. It was her first time on a motorcycle, but it wasn't her first first she had shared with Nik and she smiled to herself while thinking about that night last summer.

_(Flash back)_

_Summer 16_

_" I love you" Caroline's breath caught in her chest and she looked up at him in complete shock and awe._

_" You what?"_

_" love you. You may think that it's too much, that i don't know you well enough, and you don't know me, but every other thought i have is that i love you." Klaus heart had stopped as she searched her face for any sign of emotion. After a few hour long seconds, Caroline's face broke into blinding smile._

_" well then i guess when you put it that way, i love you too." They both let out a sigh of relief as they grinned goofily at each other. Klaus couldn't hold out any longer, he broke their dance and brought his hands up to cradle Caroline's face. It had been a year since he had kissed her, and he couldn't wait anymore. He crashed his lips down on to hers eagerly at first, and then remembering himself, slowed down and savoured every moment. Caroline's hands rested on his sides as they swayed back and forth and side to side. Every inch of Caroline's skin was like fire, as she took handfuls of Klaus's shirt and pulled him closer to her. Klaus removed one of his hands from her neck and wrapped it around Caroline's lower back. He leaned forward dipping her as if they were still dancing while never breaking their kiss. _

_By the time they broke apart they were both breathing heavily. Nik looked at her putting a lot of questions into his stare. Looking up into his face meaningfully , she nodded slowly. Barefoot, the young couple dashed across the lawn, hand in hand laughing all the while. They ducked into house through the kitchen door, dodging the waiters and staff who were still busy dealing with the party that Klaus and Caroline had almost forgot was happening. They ducked up the back stair case and to the upper floor where the bedrooms were and the party guests were not. Klaus took her hand again and guided her down the twisting and turning hallways. The moment they reached Klaus's room a switch flipped within them once again and they were unable to keep away from each other any longer. Klaus allowed his hands to roam Caroline's body in ways that he had not before. Her hands moved to the collar of his shirt and pulled at his tie. She worked on taking apart the knot before finally pulling it off his neck and working on the buttons of his shirt. _

_Klaus lifted her off his feet, and over to his bed. He laid her down on top of his comforter and lowered himself down to her. By that time Caroline had successfully unbuttoned his shirt and pushing it off his shoulders. The straps of her dress fallen from her shoulders as he moved to kiss his way along her neck and collarbone. He pushed away the fabric of her long dress, the bottom of which was wet from the dewy grass they had been dancing on before. He felt the soft skin of her thighs against his fingertips as he lightly ghosted his way along her legs. Things continued to escalate when Caroline broke their kiss._

"_Nik-" He immediately stopped pulling himself away from her._

" _Caroline ….im sorry-" She cut him off_

" _Do you have.. something?" This was not what Klaus had been expecting. He was sure that he had done something wrong, something to offend her. _

"_Um….shit." he thought hard for a moment. _

" _Finn's room." Caroline started to laugh in spite of herself. _

" _So we're going on an adventure?" she asked and then they were laughing together. _

_So there they were. In the upstairs hallway of his family home on a mission to find condoms. Nik didn't have a shirt on and the back of Caroline's dress was undone and her hair was a mess. They laughed and they dashed down the hallway, to the other side of the house where Klaus's older brother Finn's room was situated. After digging through several drawers caroline unearthed a small box. Just as they were exiting finn's room a door a few feet down the hallway cracked open. Damon Salvatore emerged and glanced their way, stopped and stared at them again._

_There they stood, Nik without a shirt and Caroline with a box of condoms in her hand._

"_There was a line for the bathroom downstairs." Damon stated awkwardly and turned to leave. On a second thought he turned to them again._

" _I'm glad you're being safe." and then he was gone back down the hallway. As soon as Damon had turned the corner Caroline and Klaus burst into laughter. _

_They made it back to his room, after stumbling down the hallway laughing and pick up where they left off. _

"_Are you sure?' He whispered to her. She looked up into his eyes, the eye's she dreamed about all year and whispered back_

"_Positive."_

Caroline shook away her thoughts of last summer and focused on the here and now. They drove through the sleepy country lanes before finally arriving at the nearby town. Klaus parked the bike and assisted Caroline off.

" You know, i've been to your house what at least twelve times? But i have never once stepped foot in this town." Klaus chuckled as he took her hand.

"Well allow me to give you a tour." They wandered down the tiny alleys and poked their heads into the kirky country shops. They stopped in at the small ice cream by the town square and sat down at a table outside under a bright yellow umbrella, sipping thick chocolate milkshakes and talking about what they had been doing in the previous year.

"Nik?" caroline placed her milkshake on the table in front of her and folded her hands in her lap.

" Hmm?" Caroline was looking at something over his shoulder.

" Now this is just a guess, but i would say that your ex girlfriend is over there staring daggers at us and planning my slow and painful murder. Klaus glanced around and sure enough Haley was standing across the street looking furious.


End file.
